Lagoons

Bataquitos Lagoon was blocked in the 1880s when the railroad bridge was built. We overlooked the railroad, the beach, and the connecting waterway in a beautiful little overlook point behind a huge housing development on the upland. The connector was re-established in the 1980s, thus making it tidal again. This restored the lagoon to a somewhat original state -- or so it is hoped. On the sandy buildup, a large colony of least terns has established itself, which is a good sign.

We also took another walk at San Elijo lagoon, beginning at this very modern apartment complex, which has what I consider to be minimalist trees (coral trees) blooming in front of it.

To go from one basin of San Elijo Lagoon to the other, we walked on a rather iffy path under the freeway.

No question, these lagoons are beautiful and seem unspoiled. But I feel one must be very "in the moment," I must not think about the vast stretches of wetland that no longer exist -- only 10% survive in San Diego county. I must not think about the future, when runoff from the beautiful apartment complexes, housing developments, attractive shopping malls, and recreational areas may continue to destroy the habitat. The wetlands may seem a bit natural now, but the future is painful to contemplate no matter how carefully the conservationists work to preserve them.